As he commenced his second term in the White House, Barack Obama sounded a winning theme in his inaugural address. In the most recent context, it is: An appeal to 100 percent of Americans always trumps an appeal to 53 percent of them.

It was Mitt Romney, Obama’s 2012 election rival, who popularized the 47 percent of Americans who, in the Republican’s words, won’t “take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”

Romney’s defeat in November bears witness to why no one seeking the presidency should dismiss half the nation. Obama’s speech Monday is a sign that the president will reach out to all Americans in his second four-year term.

“My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it — so long as we seize it together,” Obama said.

The president must make good-faith efforts to work across the political divide. The loyal opposition has a role, too. Republicans must lower their guard and seek honest compromise.

The rest of the nation isn’t excused from responsibility, as well. We the people must join this struggle in taking on an assignment that will create a stronger United States of America.